Trigger: N/A
Warnings: N/A
Important Stuff:
Small OC Cheat Sheet
Spirits:
Zephyr -The wind spirit that Reborn met in the Spirit World.
Kamikawa - The origami spirit that Reborn exchanged information with.
Engetsu - Silver kitsune that Reborn met in the Spirit World. Knows Ayame.
Ienari's Guardians
Matsushita Hachirou - Ienari's best friend. Captain of the Judo Club. Lightning Guardian
Akemi Kaori - President of Ienari's fanclub. Black Hair, Purple Eyes.
Kakusu Hideki - Former student council president, son of politician. Red Rimmed Glasses.
Koujin Fuun - Ninja assassin. Dark purple hair, crimson eyes. Kunais as weapons.
Inmen Hisen - Mochida's cousin. Ienari's crush. Hime-cut black hair and ocean blue eyes.
Text Message
Tsuna blinked as he read the message Ayame had just sent him.
Will be back in a few days. No worries.
Now, why did Ayame leave so suddenly?
Yellow Band
Tsuna walked into his bedroom to find Reborn sitting on the ground examining the yellow band Ayame had given him for his birthday. It was fairly obvious that Reborn's suspicions had finally won out and he was now examining every inch of the band.
Only when Reborn reached to undo the band, did Tsuna speak up. "Neesan will be very disappointed if you stop wearing it."
Reborn gave Tsuna a sharp look. "There isn't a GPS tracker in it?" he asked.
"No." Truth. In fact, Tsuna wasn't even sure if Ayame had bothered tagging Reborn yet (or if she had but failed to do so). Tsuna looked at the yellow hat band and felt the weight of it.
"I know you will, Reborn, but take good care of the gift. Neesan put a lot of work into it," Tsuna said softly. It explained why Ayame had been so subdued leading up to his birthday. Normally she was far more excited by it, but if she was planning on giving such a gift to Reborn (gifts like that Ayame rarely ever gave) Ayame had probably agonized over it for a long time.
It was not just a yellow hat band, but only time would tell if Reborn ever figured that out.
Planning
"So…" Hana opened the conversation. "Ienari is out of the hospital."
Tsuna nodded.
"Now what?" Kyoko asked.
"Same as usual? Keep Ienari far away from Tsuna," Takeshi suggested.
The original group of six friends were gathered at Kyoya's house where Tsuna had been sleeping over ever since Ienari's release two days ago. There was no desire on Tsuna's part to run into his twin any sooner than he had to.
"How are things?" Tsuna asked.
"He has not done anything against the children!" Ryohei added. Of the six of them, Ryohei and Kyoko were often the best people to go over to the Sawada Household whenever Tsuna wasn't there. Takeshi and Hana had firmly cemented into Ienari's mind as Tsuna's protectors, with how protective they were of Tsuna whereas Kyoko and Ryohei's gentle airheadedness was written off as harmless. No one could force Kyoya to do anything and the crowding at the Sawada Household was enough to drive the prefect up the wall.
"Though, it's easy to tell he's off centered by all the changes that have been made," Kyoko added with a thoughtful hum. "That's to be expected since it's been over five months since he was hospitalized and the number of people living in the Sawada Household have double and a renovation to the house has been done and everyone's rooms except for his had been shifted."
"I'll have to go home eventually," Tsuna grimaced. "I definitely don't want to leave the kids vulnerable to any of Ienari's temper bursts. Still, with so many people around and with Reborn resuming Ienari's hellish training, I think I'll be okay."
"What did Neesan have to say?" Takeshi asked.
Tsuna shrugged. "Neesan been gone for the last two days. She said she was alright and to just be careful."
"Why did she leave so suddenly?" Hana asked. "Normally she tells us in advance. Or if she does leave suddenly, she's back so soon, it doesn't even register."
Tsuna bit his lip. "I don't know. That's what I don't like." He glanced back to where Kyoya had been leaning against the wall. "Did she say anything to you, Kyoya-sempai?"
"No."
"We'll play it by ear then," Tsuna said. There was nothing else they could do in the meantime.
Dokuro Chrome
"Class, we have a new student today. Please welcome Dokuro Chrome," their teacher introduced.
A tiny girl with purple hair and an eyepatch over her right eye stood in the front of the class. Tsuna snapped to attention the minute the girl had entered the room.
"Nagi?" Tsuna whispered, stunned.
Return
"Ah Ayame-chan! You're back. You've been gone for almost two weeks."
Ayame gave Nana a watery smile. "Nana-san," Ayame greeted.
"Kaasan," Nana corrected. "Dear, you call yourself Tsuna's Neesan! Call me Kaasan! Or Mama."
Ayame just smiled. Nana pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh sweetheart," Nana said. "What's wrong?"
Ayame buried her head into the crook of Nana's neck and took a deep breath. The smell of a fresh pot of green tea Nana had just brewed and a sugary sweet smell that was simply Nana filled her. Ayame found herself relaxing in Nana's arms.
It spoke of Nana's character that Ayame would reach out like this to her, would trust Nana this much. Ayame didn't have many memories of her own mother and had been on her own for far longer than was probably healthy. Nana was the closest thing she had to a mother figure in… years.
"There's someone you should meet later on," Ayame said. "Though, knowing Tsuna, he'll drag her back here once school is done. She should have been introduced to the class by now."
After School
"Nagi!" Tsuna shouted, catching up to the smaller girl. "Ah, I mean Chrome," he said, correcting himself.
Chrome stopped, turning to greet Tsuna. "Tsuna-san," she softly said.
"You're here in Namimori," Tsuna blurted out, still surprised. "I thought, but why? Chrome? Not Nagi?" He stammered out a list of questions, very confused.
Chrome smiled, letting out a quiet giggle. Tsuna was exactly as Chrome remembered him to be. Coming to Namimori was not a hardship at all. Feeling a tint of sadness, Chrome answered his questions. "Ayame-san took legal guardianship of me nearly two weeks ago. She asked if I wanted to change my name as well," Chrome said. "I thought a fresh start would be nice."
Tsuna stilled. "Your parents?" he asked stiffly.
Chrome fell silent.
"I see," Tsuna said, grinding his teeth and eyes flashing orange.
Chrome laid a hand on Tsuna's arm. "It's okay, Tsuna-san. Ayame-san made sure I never have to see them again."
Tsuna deflated. "All right," he conceded. "Well, that explains why Neesan has been missing for two weeks." Then he smiled. "It's good to have you here though."
Chrome smiled. "I'm happy to be here."
Clash
All good things must come to an end. Thus, despite the very full household, it was inevitable that at one point or another the twins would end up confronting each other and without anyone nearby. It happened one morning just as Tsuna had exited the bathroom and Ienari had just come down from the stairs.
"Dame-Tsuna," Ienari snarled.
His twin just looked at him with a neutral expression. "Ienari," Tsuna said lightly.
Ienari wasn't stupid. Something had changed while he was stuck in the hospital. His brother had gotten 'braver'. The fear was gone and Tsuna no longer trembled in his presence. All of his hard work to keep Tsuna in line had slipped away. It was going to be a pain to get Tsuna back under his control.
He stalked forward, pleased to note that Tsuna did take a step back. Whatever that energy was that protected Tsuna, it did not stop everything. Ienari couldn't physically touch Tsuna, but he could still throw a lamp at him or something to similar effect. Plus, weak as they were, he now had Dying Will Flames. Something that should counteract whatever that weird energy Tsuna had.
But before Ienari could do anything, Reborn came out of nowhere and kicked him in the stomach. Reborn was always interfering!
"Dame-Ienari," Reborn mocked. "Get up. You still have fifty laps to do before school starts."
"Reborn," Ienari hissed. Why didn't his tutor understand what a monster Tsuna was?!
Ienari yelped as Reborn electrocuted him with a taser. "Get going," his demonic tutor ordered.
Ienari snarled at Tsuna once more, but complied. Going with Reborn's training methods would make him even stronger and the stronger his Flames got the better.
There was no way he was going to leave his mother in the presence of this monster.
First Meeting
"Hahi, so you know Chrome-chan from before?" Haru asked.
They had gathered at Lucky Cat Cafe for cake to celebrate Chrome's first week in Namimori. Haru had come from her own school and was introduced to Chrome.
"We met on the Kyoto Spring Trip," Tsuna said with a nod. He cut into his orange sponge cake.
"Tell me how!" Haru asked.
Hayato narrowed his eyes. "I would like to know too."
Takeshi laughed as he tilted his chair back, putting his hands behind his head. "We don't talk about the Kyoto Spring Trip."
"What no!" Haru said. "What's so special about it?"
"Herbivores," Kyoya glared at them.
"The Kyoto Spring Trip is the Kyoto Spring Trip," Hana said, taking a sip of her tea.
"It was very extreme. Perhaps too extreme," Ryohei agreed.
"As a result Tsuna is not allowed to go anywhere by himself," Kyoko said. "Not that he listens to us."
There was a murmur of agreement as Tsuna loudly protested. "It was not my fault!"
"I really want to know what happened," Hayato grumbled, crossing his arms. He had been asking that questions for months now and no one had given him a clear answer yet.
"Please Chrome-chan?" Haru pleaded.
Chrome merely shook her head. "I'm sorry. But Tsuna-san asked me to keep it a secret."
"How bad can it be?" Hayato asked.
Silence fell over the group and everyone in the know stared at Hayato with a deadpan look.
"Hahi, that bad?" Haru asked.
"Yes," they chorused together.
Tsuna took a bite of his cake. "With any luck, we will never find ourselves in that situation again."
Dinner
"Ayame-san?" Chrome asked as the brown haired woman ushered her out of their shared apartment.
"Yes?" Ayame asked, locking the door.
"Why are we always going over to Tsuna-san's house for dinner," Chrome asked. "Or… for most meals actually?" In the few weeks that Chrome had been in Namimori, 90% of her meals were eaten at the Sawada Household. Ayame would wake her early in the morning before school to take her to have breakfast with Tsuna.
Ayame paused. "Well… for starters. I can't really cook, unless you want to be eating udon every night. Two…" she trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Two… I acknowledge that I'm not the best role model you could have, including the fact that I'm a bit socially inept. While the Sawada Household is not… normal by any means, they are the best example I have of what family is suppose to be. You… deserve that much."
Chrome's single violet eye widened. She bowed her head. Ayame was doing so much for her. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"You welcome," Ayame said. "Now c'mon. Nana-san said she was going to make okonomiyaki tonight."
Social Visit
"Do you want some tea, Alaude-san?" Kyoko offered to the blond haired spirit.
"Hn," Alaude said, taking a seat.
The rest of the afternoon passed in comfortable silence.
Sleep
Giotto looked down at his son with a fond smile. Tsuna was fast asleep, relaxed and without a care in the world. He looked so much younger than he really was when he was asleep. Giotto's smile spread a little bit wider at the sight of Reborn snuggled against Tsuna's side; the hitman's tiny head using Tsuna's arm as a pillow.
When Ienari had come out of the hospital, Giotto had expected that Reborn would have moved back into his student's bedroom. That didn't happen and more than often, Reborn could be found in Tsuna's bed. (And to Giotto's surprise, Ienari was under the assumption that Reborn was sleeping in one of the other new bedrooms.) It was cute.
Soundlessly, Giotto left the room, leaving the two to their sleep.
The light on the kitchen alerted him that someone was still awake at this early hour. To no surprise, Ayame was shuffling through papers and jotting down notes at the dining table.
"You should be asleep," Giotto scolded.
"Later," Ayame said. "End of the year deadlines are approaching and I need to get this done."
Giotto peered out the window. It had began to snow just a few hours ago. It wasn't cold enough for it to stay on the ground, melting shortly after falling from the sky. Winter was approaching. It would be December in just a few days.
"Where's Chrome?" Giotto asked, changing the subject. Getting Ayame to sleep was a fruitless effort in itself. She would crash eventually.
"Asleep in the guest bedroom," Ayame said. "I didn't see any point in waking her to go back to our apartment."
"I think she can see me," Giotto said. Chrome, in the many times she was over, had often thrown glances his way, unsure of what she was seeing.
"She can," Ayame confirmed. "That's what being on Death's Door will do to a person."
"She died?!" Giotto yelped, alarmed at Ayame's words.
"Shit," Ayame swore, closing her eyes. "Okay, maybe I do need sleep. But no, she did not die, just came very close to it. That's how she lost her eye. Don't mention it to Tsuna. Chrome doesn't want them to know about her accident."
Giotto snapped his mouth shut and let Ayame clean up her papers.
As she finished, Giotto said, "If you're gonna crash on Tsuna's bed, Reborn already beat you to it."
He watched as Ayame bristled and gnashed her teeth. "Why don't you like Reborn?" Giotto asked, curious. "Have you met him before?"
Ayame let out a tired, resigned sigh. "No. It's just…" she trailed off, looking off in the distance.
"Ayame?" Giotto asked, concerned.
She shook her head. "Good night Giotto."
Giotto didn't say anything and let her go. "Good night Ayame."
Earrings
"Happy Birthday Chrome-chan," Ayame said, pressing a small box into Chrome's hand.
Chrome gaped at her. "You didn't have to," she said. She hadn't expected any sort of gift from Ayame. Ayame kept doing so much for her.
Ayame waved her concerns off. "Open it," she instructed.
Chrome opened the black box. Sitting on a tiny red cushion was a pair of silver earrings. "This looks expensive," Chrome said distressed. How could Ayame keep spending all this money on her?
"Not in the way you think," Ayame said. "It didn't really cost me that much, but they are the only ones in the world like that. So take care of them, okay?"
Chrome wordlessly nodded, putting on her new pair of earrings.
"All right, up," Ayame said, ushering her towards her bedroom. "Everyone will be here any minute now and you're not ready to go yet."
"Go?"
Ayame looked at her, eyebrow raised. "It's your birthday. It stands to reason we would be celebrating it."
"But…" Chrome said, bewildered. Normally her birthday was celebrated without any fussed, barely acknowledge at all. Practically nothing different compared to any other day.
"No buts," Ayame said firmly. "Birthdays only come once a year. Dress warmly. If I understood the girls correctly, ice skating is on the list."
"I've never gone ice skating before," Chrome said, still reeling from the shock that her birthday was being celebrated like this.
"Neither have I, but it can't be that hard. Not according to the books I read," Ayame shrugged.
"Doesn't… everyone have better things to do?" Chrome asked.
"Nope. The most important thing is that it's your birthday," Ayame said.
Chrome just looked at her in wonder. It was a novel idea that people wanted to celebrate, like an actual party from the sounds of it, her birthday. She bowed her head, turning a bright red. Chrome had no idea how she was ever going to repay everyone for all that they did.
Ayame rested a hand on Chrome's head. "Just have fun today, okay?"
Chrome smiled. "Okay."
Ringing in the New Year
Everyone was gathered on the snowy hillside, bundled up warmly. Cups of tea were passed around, the small curl of steam twisting into the air. The night sky was clear, the air crisp and cold.
Silence.
Then a whistling sound as a light shot upwards piercing the sky. In a thundering boom, a shower of red sparkles blossomed above. The first firework had been lit. Suddenly the sky was lit, changing colors and painting beautiful pictures.
Bells tolled in the distance, ringing in the new year.
Tsuna bumped Ayame's shoulder. "Happy Birthday Neesan," Tsuna said softly.
Ayame hid her smile in the new navy blue scarf Tsuna had given her. "Thank you Tsuna."
Chaotic Spring
"I've been meaning to ask," Shoichi said. "Is it always this chaotic?"
Tsuna looked at the scene that Shoichi was observing. There were a few holes in the ground and at least one toppled Sakura tree. Something of Bianchi's was giving off purple smoke and there were more than a few unconscious bodies (Shamal, Lambo, Ryohei and poor Chrome) laying around. The sound was filled with gunshots (Reborn), bombs (Hayato), and metal clashing against metal (Takeshi and Kyoya no doubt). Ayame was giving Dino a verbal beatdown, covered in rice and soy sauce. Tsuna made a mental note to intervene and save Dino before Ayame decided killing him was an option again.
Turning back to Shoichi, who was clutching his stomach and looking nauseated, Tsuna answered, "Yes."
Paling, Shoichi made a strangled sound. "I suppose it's too late to run away."
"Pretty much."
"Damn."
Graduation
"We've survived another year," Takeshi said. His hands were clasped behind his head as he laughed lightly.
It was that time of year again. The third years were on their way to high school and everyone else moved up a year. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, a cheerful note of celebration.
"It's a shame that Nezu-sensei will be moving up with us," Hana said dryly. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"We're never going to be rid of him, are we?" Tsuna said miserably. He let out a heavy sigh.
"It's strange that school board blocked both Kyoya-sempai and Neesan about removing him," Kyoko mused. She rested her chin on hands, placing her elbows on her desk.
"Sometimes," Tsuna lamented, "I regret telling them both that killing Nezu-sensei isn't an option."
Silence descended upon the group before Takeshi tentatively said, "Well… I'm sure if we ask really nicely, Reborn-san will teach us how to hide bodies."
"Takeshi!" Kyoko said.
"We're not sinking that low," Tsuna protested.
"Wishful thinking," Hana said. "Besides, we can't afford Reborn-san. Bomber monkey probably knows how to though."
"Hana!"
Escape
"Rokudo Mukuro has escaped from the Vindice," Ayame said, handing Tsuna a tan folder.
"This is cause for concern why?" Tsuna asked, accepting the folder and flipping through it.
"Neesan?" Tsuna questioned, when Ayame didn't answer him, focusing on Tsuna's hands.
Ayame blinked. "Ah, no particular reason. Mostly because rumors said he is in Japan for a shot at the Decimo candidate."
Well given that Ienari and him were identical twins, Tsuna could see why she was concerned. All it took was for Rokudo to mix Ienari and him up. Ayame got twitchy when people targeted him. Still… "Neesan? Are you alright? You've been acting weird since around the time Chrome came to live with you," Tsuna asked. "Why is Rokudo a concern for you? The wards should prevent him from entering Namimori because of intent to harm right?"
He watched patiently as Ayame struggled to form her explanation. He was at a lost as to why she was like this. There was something stressing her out and the last time he saw her like this it was in the weeks before Reborn's arrival, but even then it wasn't that bad. However, Tsuna couldn't do anything if she didn't tell him anything about it.
"It's nothing," Ayame said.
'Lie,' Tsuna's Hyper Intuition pointed out to him.
"It's nothing," Ayame repeated. "Nothing you or I can do. Nothing except to wait and watch."
"Neesan," Tsuna started.
She shook her head. "I'm not a seer, you know that. But… something's coming, a wave, a change. While I know your sensitivity to the Spiritual Plane is improving every day, surely you've noticed the unease that has begun to settle over the town. Things have grown quiet."
Tsuna had noticed. There was always that taint of anger that lingered over the town, but lately there a whiffle of depression that seemed to have blown into the town. A chill that couldn't be attributed to the last remnants of winter. Something ominous was approaching. The quiet was simply the calm before a storm.
"I think," Ayame said with a small resigned smile, "I think you're going to be faced with a decision and knowing who you are, I know what you're going to choose. For better or worse, it's going to change the playing field we've been on for the past year."
"Should I choose the opposite then?" Tsuna asked, worried.
Ayame chuckled. "No. No. Don't ever change who you are just because things will become difficult as a result of it. Just… be careful okay?"
Tsuna nodded. "I will."
Stolen
Fuuta sat at the park reading his red ranking book. He enjoyed looking over some his old rankings, noting which ones needed to be updated and enjoying the shuffling of the ones that had changed. Nothing after all was concrete. People live and die, tastes and fads change, time passed and the world turned. What was ranked number one a month ago might no longer be the case now. It was fascinating to see the difference.
"Fuuta!" I-pin called, waving to him. "Come play!"
Fuuta smiled and put his book down, running over the Chinese girl whom he was rapidly beginning to see as a little sister. It was a testament to how relaxed Fuuta had become in the months he had come to live in Namimori that he hadn't remembered to put away his ranking book in his pocket.
He wouldn't notice until much later that night when he dragged a worried Tsuna outside to help him look for it after dinner. After a bit of searching by flashlight, they had found the book and returned home, never once thinking about the consequences.
The large red book that contained so much precious information, information people had bled, killed, and bribed for had been left unattended for hours. No one had noticed the shadow that had descended upon the book after Fuuta had left it behind nor would Fuuta notice until weeks later that one of his pages had been removed.
The Countdown Begins
Kaori skipped down the street; her black hair in a ponytail bouncing as she walked. With a basket of food in her hands, Kaori smiled and wondered how she could convince Ienari to eat her food today. The object of her affections was always shying away from it! Kaori didn't know why. It wasn't like her food tasted bad. Well, most of the time, but those were probably flukes.
Her purple eyes narrowed. Though, Ienari's refusal to eat her food probably had to do with Inmen's presence. The conniving wench had her precious Ienari wrapped around her finger!
A dark shadow fell over her. Kaori turned around to see a teenage boy her age with spiky blond hair and a scar over his nose standing behind her. He was dressed in a green Kokuyo uniform.
"Strange to see some pretty girls on the lists, byon," the teenager said. He popped a set of teeth into his mouth. "Kong Channel."
Kaori leap back, throwing one of her cupcakes at the guy. With a swipe, the teenager knocked the cupcake to the ground only to get shocked.
"What did you do?" the teenager hissed, cradling his hand.
"I cook," Kaori said. It was a strange side effect she had noticed through her cooking. A wide variety of different types of effects happened for certain foods. Yellow cake cupcakes caused paralysis for example. Where as a cinnamon muffin would cause a smoke screen and chocolate chip cookies cause an increase of speed. She had intended to use those three things to kidnap her Ienari.
Kaori bit into a chocolate chip cookie and darted away. Her strange cooking powers aside, she knew she was no match for this thug. She threw the cinnamon muffin to the group, a cloud of smoke appearing, before turning to run.
She didn't get far before a fist slammed into her stomach, knocking her out.
"Cheetah Channel, byon. You're not getting away that easily."
Rolling Mist
A chill descended upon Namimori. Something dangerous lurked in the shadows and even the civilians, normally nothing more than unaware sheep, felt the growing tension. Then the attacks started.
Members of the DC were attacked, landing in the hospital with injuries. The first attack had been against Akemi Kaori, an attack that didn't fit the pattern. Kyoya lashed out, angry and prowling while the rest of the group hovered at the edges, worried and concerned. The members of the DC weren't friends in the same way Kyoya was, but they were comrades more or less. They didn't let Ienari or anyone get away with bullying Tsuna, but still distant.
Kusakabe Tetsuya as Kyoya's second in command was probably the only exception (beside Kyoya himself). He was fond friend, perhaps not as close as Kyoya was, but nevertheless it was understood early on that Kyoya and Tetsuya were a packaged deal.
Naturally, none of them took it well when Kyoya informed them that Tetsuya was in the hospital.
"Are you alright Tetsuya-sempai?" Tsuna asked, concerned. He placed the fruit basket on the table next to Tetsuya's bed.
"Yes, thank you Tsuna-san," Tetsuya said. "While I was injured, it was not as badly as the others. How is Kyoya handling the issue?"
Tsuna bit his lip, nervously. "He's quite upset. Of course he doesn't look like it, but being unable to find the culprit is making him cagey."
"Ah," Tetsuya said in understanding.
Before the conversation could continue, a commotion was raised outside. "What's going out there?" Tsuna asked, standing up to look out the door.
Outside, EMTs rushed in with another gurney. "He's losing blood fast!" one of the EMTs shouted, holding up an IV bag. "Hey! Where can I put this kid?!"
Tsuna's eyes widened as he recognized the person strapped down. Countless puncture wounds were bleeding out, staining the normal pale yellow and white Namimori Middle School uniform a dark red. A face contorted in deep pain, twisting in agony and labored breathing.
"Matsushita Hachirou," Tsuna said, stunned. Ienari's best friend. He had been attacked; his wounds consisted with one of three different attackers who had been plaguing Namimori.
"Matsushita-san is the Captain of the Judo Club," Tetsuya said. "He's decently strong. Perhaps not as strong as Kyoya or even Ienari-san, but he is one of the stronger students at Namimori Middle."
"It's like a countdown," Tsuna said softly. "I do not like this."
"Be careful Tsuna-san. If they're targeting strong fighters at Namimori, they will eventually come after you," Tetsuya said.
A dark look crossed Tsuna's face. "I'm more worried that they'll attack my friends first before getting to me."
This was not good.
A Storm Falls
Kensuke felt a chill go down his spine. He drew his shinai out of its bag, assuming a readied position.
"Who's there?" he shouted.
Kensuke didn't get a chance to do anything before a heavy metal ball came rushing toward him, crashing into him. He was knocked back, slamming into the brick wall. His shinai shattered, nothing but a flimsy defense. Kensuke dropped to his knees, falling face down towards the ground.
A Rain Bleeds
Hisen whipped out her iron fan and deflected the rain of needle that fell upon her. She jumped back, flicking her fan open all the way. Ocean blue eyes surveyed the surroundings, looking for her attacker.
A red yoyo came hurling at her. Hisen knocked it away, only to get caught in another yoyo's strings. She winced as it tightened around her, cutting through her clothes. Hisen flicked her wrist, letting her iron fan severed through the strings.
She fell to the ground, gasping for breath and flinching at her new wounds. Before she could recover, another rain of needles appeared above her.
Hisen looked up in horror as they began to fall.
Hospital
"Inmen-chan!"
Ienari burst into Inmen's hospital room. The older girl was still unconscious, the steady beeps of the EKG machine filling the room. Ienari let out a despondent sound at the prone form of Inmen. He looked further to see Mochida was in the same room as his cousin and equally unconscious. Both were badly injured, multiple broken bones and heavy blood loss.
Grinding his teeth, Ienari clenched his fist, tight enough to draw blood. "Who did this?" he hissed. First Hachirou got attacked now Inmen and Mochida. Ienari heard Kaori and a bunch of DC members had also been injured.
"This not the first time a Namimori Student has been attacked," Reborn said, jumping off of Ienari's shoulder.
Ienari whirled towards his tutor. "Do you know who is behind this?"
Reborn pulled his fedora down. "Not yet."
Ominous Signal
"Where is Ayame?" Reborn asked Tsuna.
Ienari had decided to remain in the hospital, worried about his friends. Reborn had returned to the Sawada Household to find a distraught looking Chrome and a pacing, fretting Tsuna.
Tsuna looked up, eyes flashing orange. Reborn looked at him alarmed, wondering why Tsuna's Hyper Intuition was working up now.
"Neesan left for a business trip this morning," Tsuna said. "Chrome is staying with us until she gets back. Bad timing. Very bad timing." Tsuna increased his pace. "Something's wrong."
Reborn could only agree. He had heard the rumors of escaped prisoners from Vindice. The fact that they escaped alone made them dangerous. The fact that they were here in Japan, undoubtedly targeting Ienari made it even worse. Fon had agreed to watch over Ienari at the hospital while Reborn went to confirm his information. That was why he was seeking out Ayame. She was easily the best way to confirm if Rokudo Mukuro was behind these attacks. Perhaps she even had a picture of what he looked like because there were no pictures of Rokudo.
As far as Reborn could tell, they were targeting Namimori Middle School students. Easily from weakest to strongest. Perhaps they didn't know who or which twin was the Decimo Candidate or perhaps it was just an elaborate trap. Knowing Ienari, if Reborn had told him about Rokudo, the boy would have flown into a rage and would have sought Rokudo for revenge.
Ienari was no match for Rokudo at his current level.
Tsuna paused mid-stepped, paling. "Hayato and Hana," he said.
"Tsuna-san?" Chrome asked, tentatively.
"I think Hayato and Hana are the next targets," Tsuna said.
Reborn didn't even think about, jumping onto Tsuna's shoulder as Tsuna darted out of the house with Chrome trailing after him.
Number 7
Hayato scowled as a beanie wearing teenager stepped in front of him.
The teen pushed his glasses up his nose, lightly touching the barcode tattoo on his face. "Number 7 on the list," the teen said.
Hayato dropped his bag, reaching for his dynamite. This kid was bad news. It would be best not to be caught off guard.
A rain of needles began to fall.
Number 6
Hana was walking towards Kyoko and Ryohei's house, minding her own business. She stopped, as a blond teenager blocked her walkway.
She touched her flower shape pendant necklace as an uneasy smile spread across her face. "Who are you?" she asked, feeling a sense of danger.
"Found you, byon. Number 6," the teenager said. He held out an animal teeth cartridge in his hand.
"You're one of the monkeys attacking people," Hana concluded.
"Got that right," the teenager said. "Lion Channel."
Hana grimaced as the teenager shifted, taking on characteristic similar to a lion. "No way out of it huh?" she mumbled to herself. "Very well. Weapon Form."
There was a flash of light as a red naginata appeared in Hana's hands. The long, sharp blade glistened in the light before Storm Flames burst to life around it. Pointing her naginata at her opponent, flames flickering, Hana had only one thing to say.
"Bring it."
Go Hana! Go Hayato! We have hit the Mukuro Arc! \ o / -cheers- and Chrome has shown up. 8D Thank you to everyone who answered my questions last chapter. Happy Birthday Tsuna \ o / -rushing to finish this chapter haha-
General Notes:
Naginata: (remove #) en.#wikipedia.#org#/#wiki/#Naginata
Kaori's Cooking Ability is not Binachi's Poison Cooking. Rather it's more like a Saboteur/Green Mage type. It does buffs/debuffs only.
Guest Reivewers
Lacie
Interesting! Iemitsu's not important yet haha. But he had a small scene in Italty back in Chapter 12. Though it was written from Giotto's POV.
Harunalin
Thank you!
Deathsythe2424
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll read it when I have the time. owo b
Just another Sky
Aww thank you! I'm glad you took the time to review because they give me lots of motivation. I'm also super happy to hear you like Ayame.